Dial H for Hentai!
by Kibo
Summary: EPILOGUE ADDED! COMPLETE! No, it is not about Miroku and his perverted ways. A villager has been murdered, and it's up to Kaede and Shippo to uncover the murderer.
1. The Smell of Blood

~*A/N: I first posted this a few weeks ago, but am not happy with how it turned out, so I've deleted it and am reposting the chapters as I give them a polishing. I've also downgraded the rating from R to PG-13, as the violence and language isn't as graphic as I originally thought it would be. Enjoy!*~  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha *pouts* But someday... *dreams*  
  
Te He!  
  
Chapter One: The Smell of Blood  
  
All was quietly slumbering in Musashi's domain as the sun rose. Rays of sun began to filter through the trees, awakening the birds. Their early morning songs were the only sounds in the peaceful village. The villagers were beginning to arouse, yawning and stretching to banish the sleep from their stiff limbs. The group asleep in Kaede's hut was startled awake by a bloodcurdling scream. The scream quickly erupted into sobs, carried on the wind from somewhere within the village.  
  
Inu Yasha, clutching his ears, sniffed the air. 'Blood,' he realized, 'human blood; a lot of it. And close, too.' He pulled his clawed hands from his ringing ears and noticed the blood staining them. His eyes shot open and he jumped up, quickly scanning his body for wounds or flashes of pain. Finding none, he surveyed his friends startled faces. No blood on them, either. Unless you counted Myoga, who had some on his mouth. His bloated body was a testament to how much he had fed throughout the night; he was swollen to the size of Shippo. Kagome looked at Inu Yasha, puzzled. He relaxed a little, the panic in him subsiding. Sango scanned the room and breathed a sigh of relief when she eyed hiraikotsu. It could just have been the early morning light, but Inu Yasha could swear he saw blood stains on it . . . Miroku stared confusedly at his staff in his lap. Inu Yasha thought, 'The gold looks almost red in this light.' He shook his head to dispel the thought. 'I'm seeing blood everywhere.' He turned to see Shippo cowering in Kagome's lap. Inu Yasha sniffed the air, smelling fear coming off of them all. Everyone turned and focused their eyes on Kaede as she sat up.  
  
Kaede slowly stood, hobbling out of the hut and toward the sounds of distress. Slowly, everyone else rose and filed out of the hut, following her. A group of villagers was crowding around something, mothers quickly turning their children away and taking them into huts. The men were trying to block it from the women's views; a few women lay on the ground unconscious, others sat dumbly in shock, and one woman was bent over, vomiting, as they approached. The men's faces were grim.  
  
"Lady Kaede!" one sobbing woman cried.   
  
'Must be the one who screamed,' thought Sango. The woman tore herself away from her comforting husband, throwing herself into Kaede's arms.  
  
"What is it, child? Pray, tell me?" the old priestess asked, her arms going around the sobbing woman. The woman didn't reply, only renewed her crying more vigorously.  
  
"Lady Kaede," one of the men called. "You really should take a look at this." Kaede nodded, signaling someone to take the woman from her arms, and the men stepped back to allow her and the others. No one was prepared to see what the group of men had been concealing. Before them lay the body of a man, or at least what was once a man. The body had been bludgeoned and cut and decapitated, blood splatters everywhere. Gashes covered his torso, slicing through his clothing and exposing ripped flesh. The exposed limbs were swollen and mottled with bruises and welts. The head had been severed from the body, appearing to have been torn, not cut. It stood near to the body, held into the air by an arrow that had pierced through and was stuck into the ground. Kagome formed a mental picture of meat on a shish-kebab skewer, then shook her head to remove it.  
  
Kaede's unprotected eye clamped shut, her lips disappearing as her mouth became a thin, white line. Inu Yasha covered his nose at the stench of blood, a disgusted look on his face. Shippo leapt into Kagome's arms, trembling and burying his face in her chest. Kagome whimpered, crumpling to her knees and clutching Shippo to her chest. Sango turned and vomited, Kirara looking up at her concernedly. Miroku doubled over, pressing his hands to his eyes, his breathing ragged.  
  
"Inu Yasha," Kaede spoke softly, breaking the silence and forcing them to look at her instead of the grisly scene before them. "Can you smell demons nearby? Or an unfamiliar human scent?" He sniffed the air, and then the body.  
  
"No, nothing unfamiliar. Just us, the villagers, and . . . " he trailed off, glancing at the red liquid pooling around the dead villager's body.  
  
"As I feared," Kaede murmured, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat as she knelt to examine the body. Everyone watched in horrified amazement as she rolled the body over and even pulled the arrow from the ground to examine the head's wounds better. She removed the arrow and held it, setting the head on the chest of the body. When she was finished, she turned to the men. "Give him a proper burial. Hironobu was a good man, and deserves the same respect in death that we gave to him in life." She closed her eye and bowed her head slightly, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away with her free hand, still clutching the arrow in the other. "You all, follow me," she said, leading them back to her hut.  
  
Inu Yasha pulled Kagome to her feet, putting her arm around his shoulders while she clutched the trembling Shippo in her other arm. Sango and Miroku supported each other, walking with stilted steps, Kirara trailing behind them. When they entered the hut, they were all surprised to find a bloated Myoga still sleeping in the corner. "Damn flea," Inu Yasha snarled at him, releasing Kagome and stalking over to Myoga.  
  
"Inu Yasha!" Kaede's command stopped him in mid-stride.   
  
"What?!" he growled, "That damn flea sleeps while an innocent man lays murdered! How anyone, demon or not, could have slept through that scream . . . "  
  
"Inu Yasha," Kaede interrupted. "All of you, please, be seated."  
  
"Who could have done such a horrible thing?" Shippo asked, looking up at her.  
  
"It's gotta be that damned Naraku!" Inu Yasha yelled, slamming his fist into his hand.  
  
"I agree," nodded Miroku. "Who else would mutilate someone in this way?"  
  
"But why?" asked Kagome innocently. "He would have no reason to destroy this man's life, other than for sport."  
  
"That's reason enough for a demon like him," mumbled Inu Yasha.  
  
"To scare us, Kagome. To enrage Inu Yasha, even. That beast thrives by hurting others," Sango replied, hate in her eyes. Kagome stared fixedly at the ashes of last night's fire.  
  
"I do not believe it was Naraku," Kaede spoke, all eyes focusing on her.  
  
A muffled grunt came from the corner, followed by a yawn and a sigh. They all turned to see Myoga blinking back at them, his eyes still sleepy. "Wha-What are you all looking at me like that for?" Inu Yasha rose and stomped over to him, picking up the engorged flea by the head and growling at him, nose to nose. "Muh-muh-muh-my lord?" Myoga stammered. *Sweat drop* Inu Yasha growled again, throwing Myoga against the wall and storming back to his seat. Myoga slid down the wall to the floor, his head spinning, 'What'd I do now?'  
  
Kaede cleared her throat, "As I was saying, I don't believe it was Naraku who killed Hironobu."  
  
"Who's Hironobu?" Myoga asked, rubbing his head, earning himself hateful glances from them all and another growl from Inu Yasha.  
  
"Why not Naraku, Kaede? Whom do you believe did it then?" Kagome asked, returning everyone's attention to the priestess.  
  
"Because, Inu Yasha would have picked up his smell immediately. I even asked him if he smelled anyone unusual. His reply confirmed my suspicions. This man was killed by human hands." They all gasped. She shot a glance at Inu Yasha. "Or possibly hanyou . . . " Their heads all snapped to look at the startled Inu Yasha. "Or maybe even youkai," Kaede finished, turning to look at Myoga. They all followed her eyes, glaring at the flea demon.  
  
He looked at them all, eyes wide, and stuttered, "Muh-muh-muh-muh-me?! Kill a human?!" He then looked down at his bloated form, face turning red. "I may drink their blood, but the chance of me drinking enough to drain them completely is unfathomable!"  
  
"That's right!" snapped Miroku. "He couldn't have! There was blood everywhere! He couldn't have drunk it all!" They all murmured in agreement, looking at the floor but replaying the grisly picture in their minds.  
  
"That's true," murmured Kaede. "He did not drink it all, but . . . " she stopped there, examining the forgotten arrow in her hand.  
  
Kagome blushed, her eyes going wide, "That looks like one of my arrows!" She gasped, realizing what she was implying. Kaede simply nodded, setting the arrow down, then looked at Inu Yasha's hands. He quickly crossed his arms, hiding his hands within his sleeves of his kimono, scowling at the ground. Kaede's eyes then went to hiraikotsu, which Sango had left leaning against the far wall.  
  
Sango slowly crossed to it, holding it up for examination. "There's blood on it, but I know I cleaned it after our last battle," she blushed. Kaede next let her eyes fall on Miroku's staff, which he gripped in his hands, laying it across his knees. He too looked down.  
  
"Blood," he whispered. Shippo looked from one to the other, going to Kaede's side. Kirara followed him.  
  
'No way,' Shippo thought. 'There's no way my friends did this! Not even Inu Yasha! I give him a hard time, and he can be a jerk, but I just can't let myself believe he'd do something this awful!' "No way!" he yelled aloud, startling them all.  
  
"I would like to believe so too, Shippo, however, the evidence is against them. Hironobu was a good man, very well liked and respected. He has lived in this village since he was a child, and I have known him all my life. I assisted in birthing his many children, as well as his many grandchildren. They all still live in this village as well, so much of the village is his family. Every villager has lived here since childhood, and I know them all well. None are capable of this type of violence. The most lethal people in this village are the people in this room. I trust you all, but when faced with this . . . " she trailed off, spreading her hands in confusion.  
  
"So which one did it?" piped up Shippo. "How do we solve this? And what will happen to the . . . " *Gulp* " . . . murderer?"  
  
"That, I cannot answer just yet," Kaede said, patting his head. "I will have to think. You all stay here, and do not consider leaving this hut, much less this village." Kaede shot them all hard looks, picking up Shippo and leaving the hut, Kirara following them.  
  
"Well, now," Miroku said, clearing his throat. "So, who wants breakfast?"  
  
"Baka!" Sango glared, slapping him upside the head.  
  
'What?' Miroku thought, rubbing the back of his head. 'It's not like I tried to fondle her this time or anything?' He looked up to see everyone glaring at him.  
  
"And just how do you intend to get breakfast if we can't leave the hut, if you don't mind my asking?" Inu Yasha asked sarcastically.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess I wasn't thinking." He blushed. "Kagome! Don't you have any of that instant food from your time in your bag?" Miroku looked at her hopefully.  
  
"How can you even think of eating at a time like this?" Kagome screamed, clenching her fists at her sides.  
  
"Uh, Kagome?" Sango quietly asked, turning red. "I'm actually quite hungry myself. Aren't you?"  
  
"Uh, well, I guess until now I hadn't thought about it, but now that I do, I guess I am," Kagome looked down, blushing. "So," she sighed, "Who wants ramen?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, wha'd ya think? Maybe I suck at writing, I don't know. This is my first fanfic, so reviewers, pleeeease be gentle? If it sucks, I'll take it off or whatever, so let me know, K? K! 


	2. Nightmares

~*A/N: I know some are confused about the title, but for the person who figures out what I was thinking when I thought it up, I'll give you a cookie. Or pocky, if you'd prefer. Hint: Think of titles of well-known murder mysteries... Enjoy!*~  
  
Cradlerobber Speedy-kun: thank you! I appreciate it! Think about the title... maybe you'll get a cookie!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't Inu-Yasha, but I do own Hironobu, Rei, Tetsuo, his wife and children. So there! :P  
  
Chapter Two: Nightmares  
  
At the mention of "ramen," Inu Yasha dove for Kagome's bag, throwing textbooks and articles of clothing as he searched. "Inu-Yasha!" Kagome yelled, gathering up the discarded items. He paid her no attention; he had found what he was looking for. He turned, an ear-to-ear grin on his face, four cups of instant ramen in his arms. "SIT!" He slammed into the boards of the hut's floor, instant ramen flying from his arms.  
  
"Wha'd you do that for?!" Inu-Yasha grumbled, pushing himself up to a sitting position.  
  
"You were throwing my stuff everywhere! That's MY bag, let me go through it!" she fumed.  
  
"Uh, Kagome," Miroku interrupted.  
  
Ignoring him, Inu-Yasha argued, "Well, you asked 'Who wants ramen?' so I assumed that was an offer to"  
  
"Uh, Kagome," Miroku interrupted again.  
  
Ignoring him as well, Kagome raged "To what?! Go through my personal things and"  
  
"KAGOME!" Miroku yelled, exasperated. They both turned to look at him, Kagome's face changing from anger to embarrassment, Inu-Yasha's to confusion. In Miroku's outstretched hand he held a pair of her panties that had flown into his lap. He had thought for a moment of keeping them, but decided he'd better not.   
  
"What're those for?" Inu-Yasha asked, curious about Kagome's red face.  
  
"Nothing!" she snapped, grabbing them and quickly stuffing everything into her bag.  
  
Sango cleared her throat, cutting off Inu-Yasha's next question. "Perhaps someone ought to start a fire?" Remembering their hunger, the boys soon forgot about Kagome's "unmentionables." Kagome shot Sango a look of thanks. Sango just smiled in return.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, Kaede was asking questions, Shippo at her side. Kirara was curled up outside Kaede's hut, standing guard. "So, ye did not see Hironobu last night? At all? But ye share the same hut?" Kaede asked Hironobu's granddaughter, Rei.  
  
Rei blushed, "Grandfather hasn't slept well in years, so it's not unusual for him to be walking around outside after dark. I had eaten dinner with my sister's family, and upon returning for bed, he was gone. I thought it not unusual, so I slept." She glanced sheepishly at Shippo, then bowed her head.  
  
"I see," said Kaede, rising to leave. "If ye should remember anything else, let me know," and with that, she rose to leave the hut.  
  
"Actually," Rei called out to her, "I did have a terrible dream that demons were attacking the village." She quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks turning crimson.  
  
"A nightmare, ye say? Hmm." And with that, Kaede left, Shippo behind her.  
  
"Kaede," Shippo said, jumping to her shoulder so they could speak more secretly, "how many people do we have to talk to? Wouldn't it be easier to have them come to you?"  
  
"Ay, Shippo, that it would. However, I cannot use my hut, and this is not a line of questioning to be pursued in the open." They had reached the hut nearest to where the body had been found. Earlier, Kaede had blessed the spot after the body was removed. The soiled dirt had been dug up, and new dirt replaced it. It appeared as it always had. Kaede walked to the mat hanging over the doorway and knocked on the hut's wall. The mat was pushed aside, and a woman stepped aside to admit them without question.  
  
"Where are your children?" Kaede asked after being seated and surveying the room.  
  
"Off playing," the man replied. "This is no talk for young ears."  
  
"Ay," Kaede nodded, "but young eyes and ears oft see and hear things they should not. I will not say or ask anything that may upset them, I only wish to know if they saw or heard anything strange last night." The man thought for a minute, looking hard at the old priestess, but then nodded, and his nervous wife went out to find their children.  
  
"Don't lie to me, old woman. It was that damned half-breed, wasn't it? We were fools to trust him!"  
  
"Tetsuo! I helped to bring you into this world, and I am a yet a priestess, despite my age! I deserve the respect of an elder and a priestess! I have neither gone soft nor incompetent! You forget yourself."  
  
Tetsuo bowed his head, hiding the shame in his eyes, "My apologies, Lady Kaede. I do not know what came over me." At that moment his wife and four children piled through the door, running up to him.  
  
"Papa, Papa! You're not working the fields today?"  
  
"Are you ill?"  
  
"Yay! Papa's home! Papa, come play!"  
  
"Papa, is it true Lady Kaede is here?"  
  
Kaede chuckled from her seat, "Yes, child, Lady Kaede is here."  
  
Tetsuo cleared his throat, "Children, please be seated. Lady Kaede has a question to ask you. An important question, so you must answer truthfully, understand?"  
  
"Yes, father," all four answered in unison, seating themselves and lining up in front of Kaede. Three boys, one girl, ranging in age from four to eight. Their eager faces turned to Kaede, occasionally glancing at the small kitsune on her shoulder. The youngest, the daughter, squirmed a little in her seat, eager to please the priestess.  
  
"Now then," Kaede cleared her throat, "do any of you recall seeing or hearing anything strange last night?" All four seemed to sit and think for a few moments before looking at her and shaking their heads.  
  
The eldest looked at her and said, "Well, I had a nightmare, and woke up from it. Then I looked out the window because I couldn't fall asleep. I saw the shadow of a man walk by, I could hardly see him in the dark. He stopped in front of our hut, and slapped his neck. I giggled at that, and Mama heard me, woke up, and told me to go back to sleep. That's it."  
  
"A nightmare, hmm?" pondered Kaede. "Did any of you others have a bad dream last night?" All three nodded their heads vigorously. "What were they about, children?"  
  
"Demons!"  
  
"Big, hairy demons!"  
  
"With tails!"  
  
Kaede nodded to all this, then looked up at their parents. "And you two? Did you dream as well?" The couple blushed, eyes studying the floor.  
  
"About demons?" piped up Shippo, who had been silent thus far. The parents simply nodded their heads.  
  
"Thank you," Kaede said, rising. "You have all been a great help to me." With that, she left, Shippo now silent on her shoulder. The children beamed proud smiles to one another, and turned to their parents.  
  
Tetsuo chuckled and shook his head, "So, what did you four want to play?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Back at Kaede's hut, the four sat silently eating ramen. Myoga, now his normal size, sat in deep meditation on Inu-Yasha's shoulder. Inu-Yasha finished his ramen, setting down the cup and standing. He walked over to the wall and punched it. Hard. The hut shook, rousing Kirara outside. They all looked up at him, gaping mouths full of ramen. He whirled around, "We should be helping her! No way that old woman can do this on her own!"  
  
"But Inu-Yasha!" Miroku gulped, swallowing his food. "We're suspects!"  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted, crossing his arms. "Suspects, my ass. Do you really think any of us are capable of that, that cruelty?!"  
  
Miroku stared, "W-well, no, but..."  
  
"But what?!" Inu-Yasha snarled.  
  
"But I do remember waking up in the middle of the night and finding you gone from your usual corner," Miroku replied sheepishly, focusing his eyes on his ramen cup. Sango and Kagome's mouths had dropped open into little "O"s, chopsticks forgotten, raised halfway to their mouths. Inu Yasha glared at Miroku.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything before?!" Sango and Kagome yelled in unison.  
  
"I didn't think of it until now," he bowed his head.  
  
Inu-Yasha's eyes glistened. "Ha," he laughed, "that's nothing. I hear you all get up so often in the night, in fact, we all left the hut last night, including Kaede."  
  
All three looked at him in shock. "All of us?" Kagome whispered.  
  
"Yeah. At first, I followed you, made sure you were safe, although you always take your weapons with you. After I noticed all you usually do is, um, 'go to the bathroom' as Kagome puts it, I stopped following. Not that I'm some hentai, or anything, I never got close enough to see anything," he hastily added when he saw the repulsed look on their faces.  
  
"I don't remember getting up last night," Kagome puzzled. Sango and Miroku nodded. "All I remember is a terrible nightmare. Then I woke up, looked around, and fell back asleep."  
  
"I don't remember leaving either," Sango agreed, "but I do remember the nightmare. I was so... frightened." She whispered the last word, hesitating to admit it.  
  
"I have to agree with the girls, Inu-Yasha. I never left the hut, but I do recall a nightmare, the worst I've ever had."  
  
"How about you, Inu Yasha?" Kagome looked up, innocently. "Did you dream?"  
  
Inu-Yasha looked down, his face turning red. "Yes, I dreamt as well. My neverending nightmare. I hadn't had it for almost a month, and I thought I might finally be rid of it. But I didn't think anything odd of it."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Nightmares," Kaede mused.  
  
"What's it mean, Kaede? Everyone we talk to had bad dreams last night, including you and I! I bet Inu Yasha and them all did too! What's it mean?" Shippo whined from her shoulder.  
  
"I am not sure, Shippo, but I intend to find out."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Duhn, Duhn, Duhn! Stay tuned for another exciting chapter of "Dial 'H' for Hentai!"  
  
Sorry this chapter was so short, but I can't go on too much longer.  
  
Thanks for reading! *smiles* Review, onegai? 


	3. Demons With Tails? Part One

*evil grins* I own Inu Yasha!! *dances* Er... *is tapped on shoulder by important-looking man in a business suit* Sheesh, lawyers. Can't take a joke? Allright...  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inu Yasha...  
  
Chapter Three: Demons... With Tails??? Part one  
  
Kaede returned to her hut at nightfall, a steaming pot and loaf of bread in her hands. She walked past the curious Kirara, opening the door. The four occupants looked up as she entered, cutting off their conversation. "Here is some food for ye," she said, setting down the pot and bread. "Ye did not think I would starve ye now?" the corner of her mouth quirked up, and she turned around and left.  
  
"Kaede!" Kagome called, running to the mat as it fell back into place.  
  
"Good luck!" Inu-Yasha snarled from his corner. "That old hag isn't going to tell you anything until she's good and ready!" Kagome turned around, forlorn, and returned to her seat. Sango started to fill bowls with the steaming miso soup, and Miroku tore the bread into four pieces. They ate silently, each pondering the discussion they had that afternoon.  
  
~*FLASHBACK*~  
  
"So, what did you dream about, Kagome?" Miroku asked after they had finished their late breakfast.  
  
Kagome turned red. "I, I don't really remember," she said, her blush deepening.  
  
"Yeah, right," Inu-Yasha snorted. "What's so embarrassing about a nightmare?"  
  
"It's personal!" Kagome replied, turning her back and taking out a textbook. She pretended to study, but couldn't focus on the words on the page. Her thoughts kept returning to her dream.  
  
~*KAGOME'S DREAM*~  
  
She woke up in the middle of the night, having to go to the bathroom. She grabbed her bow and quiver, and left the hut. "Shouldn't have drank all that green tea," she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself to protect against the chill in the night air. She went to the edge of the woods, found an adequate bush, and did her business. On her way back to the hut, she heard a sound coming from further in the village. Curious, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and strung it to her bow, pointing it at the ground as she crept towards the sound she heard. In the dark, she made out the figure of a man. The moon came out from behind a cloud, and the features of the man became visible. He had long, silver hair, and dog ears atop his head. He was holding the Shikon Jewel, now whole, in his hand, and sneering at her.  
  
"Baka wench," he sneered. "I only used you to get this," holding up the jewel. Rage coursed through Kagome's body, making her feel nothing but hatred and betrayal. She looked at the bow and arrow in her hands, noticing she was wearing the outfit of a priestess, instead of her usual school uniform. Paying it no attention, she raised her bow, aiming at the hanyou.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" she called, startling him, and causing him to hesitate. She released in that momentary lapse, the arrow piercing his head and spearing into the ground behind him. She approached slowly when he didn't move, crouching to pick up the discarded jewel, and straightened to examine the dead body. A small stream of blood trickled down his face, and then her eyes were drawn down, to his tail. "Odd," she said to herself, "Inu-Yasha doesn't have a tail." After she spoke, the figure before her seemed to fade, and when her eyes focused again, it was not the face of the hanyou before her. It was an old man! Frightened and ashamed, she forced herself to run back to Kaede's hut. Her eyes darted around the room, assuring herself that everyone was there, and asleep. And there Inu-Yasha was, where he had been when she left, asleep in the corner, clutching tetsusaiga.  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
  
  
"What about you Miroku?" Sango prodded. Their conversation drew Kagome out of her thoughts.  
  
Miroku looked amusedly at Sango, "Hmm?"  
  
"What about you? What did you dream about?"  
  
"Oh, that," Miroku looked disappointed. "It was about my wind tunnel. No big." He sipped his tea.  
  
"'That?'" Sango questioned. "What did you think I was asking you about?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping you were looking for me to help you pass the time while we're stuck in here, but I guess now's not the time for"  
  
Sango cut him off, "NEVER's the time for, for... Ugh, you, you, HENTAI!" She slapped him.  
  
Inu-Yasha chuckled, "Just about the wind tunnel, huh? Doesn't sound like much of a nightmare to me."  
  
"Well, not just..." Miroku trailed off, his eyes staring at the wall but not really seeing it.  
  
~*MIROKU'S DREAM*~  
  
Miroku awoke, feeling antsy. 'My hand is itching,' he thought. 'Fresh air will help clear my head.' He got up and quietly left the hut, staff in hand. Outside the hut, he stretched, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air. He heard a low chuckle from somewhere in the village, and turned to check it out. He was walking through the village when he caught sight of a large man-shaped being. The fur of the man's coat glinted silver in the moonlight. Miroku approached cautiously, making out the mask of a baboon as he neared. "Naraku," he breathed. A low chuckle came from the man. "Damn you, Naraku!" Miroku screamed. "I will finish this now! Wind tunnel!" He removed the prayer beads from around his right hand, uncovering the large hole in its center. Large insects began swarming at him, coming from Naraku. Miroku quickly recovered his hand, cursing under his breath. Naraku continued to laugh at him. "I won't give up!" Miroku yelled. "If I can't suck you in, I'll beat you bloody!" With that, he launched himself at the man, beating him with his staff repeatedly, as Naraku sank to the ground under the weight of the blows. Eventually, Miroku realized Naraku was no longer moving. He halted, his staff raised for another blow, and nudged Naraku's body with his foot. 'No way it could've been that easy,' he thought absently. The man rolled over onto his back, still unmoving. "I, I did it," Miroku giggled, "I killed Naraku!" He studied the body laying at his feet, and noticed something he hadn't seen before. "I didn't know Naraku had a tail." His eyes became blurry, and when he was again able to focus, he noticed that the form laying on the ground was no longer that of Naraku, but that of an old man. He slowly lowered his staff in shock, sweat breaking out on his brow. "What," he gulped, "what have I done?" He turned and ran back to the hut, never looking back.  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
"Miroku, he-llo-o?" Sango was waving her hand in front of his face. He focused his eyes on her, blushing and averting his face.  
  
"S-sorry. I must have spaced out there for a minute."  
  
"What were you thinking about, monk?" Inu-Yasha eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"Nuh-nothing," Miroku replied. He faked a yawn stretching. "Damn, I'm tired, think I'll take a nap," he said, lying down and closing his eyes. Sango just blinked at him, confused.  
  
"What was that all about?" she asked Inu-Yasha.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think there's more to his dream than he wants to tell us," Inu-Yasha said, going to the corner and sitting down. "A nap sounds like a good idea. We can't do much else anyways." With that, he closed his eyes. Sango watched him for a minute, then turned to Kagome.  
  
"Hey, Kagome."  
  
Kagome jumped, startled. "Y-yes, Sango?" she asked, turning towards her.  
  
"Whatchya readin?"  
  
"History," Kagome relaxed a little.  
  
"Oh, anything interesting?"  
  
"No, not really," Kagome replied, turning back to her book. Sango sighed, deciding to try to sleep as well. She closed her eyes, and the scenes from her nightmare replayed in her mind.  
  
~*SANGO'S DREAM*~  
  
Sango awoke to Kirara whining in her sleep. Sango smiled, scratching the cat's stomach. Kirara looked at her through slitted eyes before rolling over and going back to sleep. Sango lay back down, trying to fall back asleep. She tossed and turned for awhile, finally opening her eyes and sighing. 'Maybe if I go for a little walk,' she thought, and stealthily crept out of the hut, hiraikotsu slung over her back. She walked through the sleeping village, making sure to tread quietly so as not to disturb any of the villagers. As she looked up at the stars, thoughts strayed to her deceased family and the village of the demon exterminators. She brushed away the tears forming in her eyes, and looked down to see a figure walking towards her in the darkness. 'Looks like I'm not the only one with insomnia tonight,' she grinned, changing direction to intercept the villager. As she neared, she noticed how small the person was. 'Why, he's no more than a child!' she mused, intending to advise him against wandering alone at night. Just then, a sliver of moonlight passed across the boy's face. She gasped as recognition hit her like a bag of bricks. It was her brother. "Kohaku?!" she said in shock.  
  
"I am no longer Kohaku. The brother you once knew is gone. I merely inhabit his shell. And my only mission is to destroy you, last of the demon hunters!" his eyes flashed with an angry red light. Sango gasped, and took a hesitant step back, transfixed. He took this momentary weakness to his advantage and attacked, the chain of his weapon snapping as it went taught. Sango came to just in time to dodge its blade, anger coming into her eyes.  
  
'How dare they possess my brother's body!' "How dare you?!" she yelled, taking hiraikotsu from her back and throwing it at the body of her brother. He jumped atop the nearest hut, laughter in his eyes. She could not take a demon laughing at her in her brother's voice. As he leapt up from the roof, she again released hiraikotsu, but this time connected with her target. His limp body fell the the ground, his severed head landing nearby. She caught hiraikotsu, slinging it over her shoulder once again, and smugly approached the beheaded body. Her breath caught in her throat, and she had to remind herself that despite appearances, this was no longer Kohaku, just the shell he once inhabited. She smiled through her tears, looking at his small body. 'Now you can lie in peace.' Her eyes traced the line of the body in the dark. 'He was so cute,' she thought, 'especially that tail...' She gasped. 'He was a human before! Had this demon been unable to betray its presence by manifesting a tail?' Her tears were blurring her vision. She wiped a hand across her eyes, and when she looked down, it was no longer her brother's body before her, but that of an adult. The head, lying face-up nearby, showed grey-streaked hair, and the face was that of an old man.  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
Kagome closed her book, unable to concentrate, and turned around to see the others asleep. She shrugged, curling up on the floor and studying Inu-Yasha, his furrowed brow, his lip curled up, exposing his fangs. He was dreaming.  
  
~*INU YASHA'S DREAM*~  
  
It started out the same as always. His ears twitched to some unknown sound, rousing him from sleep. 'Damn humans,' he thought, looking from one to the other of the sleepers within the hut. 'Can't lie still for one minute.' He shifted himself, bowing his head to his chest, trying to fall back asleep. He was almost unconscious when his ears twitched again. 'That didn't come from inside the hut,' he thought, standing, tetsusaiga in his right hand. He left the hut, and headed in the direction of the sound, into the woods.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" he whirled around to see Kagome aiming her bow and arrow at him.   
  
'Wait,' he thought, 'no, it's Kikyo.' The next thing he knew, he was being shot through the chest, pinned to a tree. 'Isn't this familiar,' he mused, when suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the arrow was gone. 'This is new,' he thought. He stood in the middle of the village, Kikyo a few paces away, an empty bow in her hand. "Damn you, Kikyo! I trusted you, I even loved you, and you betrayed me!" Anger flared in his eyes and he leapt at her, claws spread wide. He slashed at her, shredding her clothing. He clawed at her again and again, his fury making him lightining-fast. She couldn't retaliate, only grunt in pain. Soon he felt his claws tear through flesh, warm blood gushing over his hands. He kept slashing his claws until his hands dripped blood, slowing down as exhaustion overtook him. She fell to the ground, blood pooling around her. He breathed heavily, looking down at her limp body, eyes full of malice. He studied her, the woman he once found so attractive. 'She looks stupid with a tail,' he thought, turning away, then paused. "Tail?" he asked himself, turning back to the body. When he looked down, however, it wasn't Kikyo laying there. The face of an old man looked up at him, his eyes blank, face contorted into an expression of anguish. Inu-Yasha's stomach knotted up as he raised his bloody hands to examine them. "Why Kikyo?" he asked his hands. "Why would you deceive me again?"  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
~*END FLASHBACK*~  
  
After waking up from their naps, they had decided to tell the others their dreams. Each was considering the stories they had heard from the others, all feeling the horrible weight of guilt.  
  
"So," said Miroku, breaking the heavy silence. "Do you suppose that we all killed him?" Inu-Yasha just growled, not lifting his head from his soup. Kagome blanched, a horrified look on her face. Sango made a strangled sound in her throat, then coughed, choking on her bread. "Uh, nevermind," Miroku said, returning his attention to his dinner.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
~*A/N: Hahaha... I know, I'm evil. Did they really kill him? What's up with the tails? Think you have it figured out? Join me, next time, for another installment of "Dial 'H' for Hentai!*~ 


	4. Demons With Tails? Part Two

~*A/N: Yay! Another chapter done. Thanks to my newest reviewer, Gloria Underhill. You get a cookie!*~  
  
DISCLAIMER: Yet again, I do not own InuYasha... *sighs*  
  
Chapter Four: Demons... With Tails??? Part Two  
  
Kaede lay on the floor of Hironobu's hut, Shippo curled up on the opposite side of the fire. Rei had decided to move back into her parents hut, now that her grandfather didn't need to be looked after, and the family was more than willing to let Kaede stay there until things were sorted out. Kaede's thoughts wandered back to that morning, when they had buried her childhood friend. She then flashed back through her life, remembering playing with him as a child, archery competitions as an adolescent, dinners with him and his wife, the births of his children, and later, his grandchildren. A tear escaped her eye, her sorrow overwhelming. Her mind then switched to last night, the nightmare she herself had.  
  
~*KAEDE'S DREAM*~  
  
'Damn these old bones,' Kaede thought, stiffly standing and walking from her hut. All was peacefully slumbering, soft moonlight filtering through the trees. "Not as spry as I used to be, ay," she admitted to herself, a slight limp in her walk as she strolled to her sister's grave. "Kikyo," she breathed, grief in her voice. 'After fifty years, for Urasue to disturb your rest, it's abominable!' A tear escaped her eye. She heard a cackling laugh behind her, and turned to see Urasue, alive. "But I thought ye dead?!" Kaede gawked.  
  
"It takes more than a disobedient golem to kill Urasue!" the old woman laughed, raising her scythe high, running at Kaede. Kaede grabbed for her bow, only to realize she had left it behind. Suddenly, Urasue was pelted by multiple, synchronized attacks. An arrow struck her head just as hiraikotsu disconnected it from her body. The arrow stuck in the dirt, holding the head above, grey hair turning red with blood. Before the body could touch the ground, two figures attacked it, one bludgeoning it with a staff, the other tearing at it with razor-sharp claws. The body fell then, beaten and torn. Blood splattered and pooled around the body. Kaede looked up from the body, still on the defensive, to identify the attackers. The four stood grouped together, smiling at her. She breathed a sigh of relief, recognizing them.  
  
"Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Sango, Miroku, you - you saved me. Thank you." Inu-Yasha stood profiled in her vision, one hand gripping the wrist of the other, flexing his bloody claws, moonlight glinting off ears and fangs. Kagome stood next to him, right knee slightly bent, bow lowered, her right hand still pulled back where it had released the arrow. Miroku leaned against his staff next to Kagome. Sango, next to Miroku, left foot cocked behind her, held hiraikotsu over her shoulder with her left hand. Kaede's eyes blurred with tears, the joy of having these people in her life, people who she could trust and depend upon. When her eyes cleared, they had gone. Kaede stood in shock, her eyes returning to the body of the witch. 'Wait, what be this?' she thought, noticing something new. She stepped closer, focusing on an appendage she had not noticed before. "A tail?" she whispered, her eyes going from it to the head nearby. But the grey hair was no longer loose and wild, it was shorter, and secured in a ponytail at the nape of the neck. The body was no longer that of a plump woman, but that of an old man, drowning in his kimono. She approached to see the face, fear pricking between her shoulder blades. As she looked into it's contorted features, she recognized them as all-too-familiar. "Hironobu!" she gasped, looking up to the stars. They started to spin, and the world faded to black.  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
Kaede shook her head to dispel the sight she had seen not only in her dream, but in real life. She could still smell the blood, and fear once again pricked her between the shoulder blades. She glanced around the room, and noticed the kitsune missing. "Now where could he have gone to?" she wondered aloud.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Shippo was running back to Kaede's hut, taking advantage of the priestess's distraction. He believed her to be asleep, or at least, so lost in her grief his disappearance would go unnoticed. 'These dreams,' he thought, 'it can't be coincidence, it just can't! There has to be more to it! And what's with these tails everyone keeps mentioning?' He then remembered the details of his own nightmare, his pace slowing to a walk, and then halting altogether. Kaede's hut was in his field of vision, but he didn't see it. All he saw was the fearful images burned into his memory.  
  
~*SHIPPO'S DREAM*~  
  
Shippo woke as Kagome rolled over, a squeal escaping his lips. "Whew," he sighed, wiping the back of one hand across his brow. 'That was a close one,' he thought. 'She could've crushed me!' He looked from one to the other of the sleepers, checking to make sure his distress hadn't awakened Inu-Yasha or Kirara, both with super-sensitive hearing. Satisfied that he hadn't disturbed anyone, he quietly slipped from the hut, sitting on the steps outside. He looked up at the sky and saw thunderclouds rolling in, blocking out the moon and stars. Lightning bolts danced from cloud to cloud. *Gulp* "Maybe I should go back inside," he thought, standing up, as everyone rushed from the hut past him. "Kagome! Sango! Kaede! Miroku! Inu-Yasha! Where are you all going?" he chased after them. But they were much faster than him, even with his demon speed. "Damn these short legs," he mumbled to himself, watching them slip away into the thick darkness. He stopped running, trying to see through the inky blackness. Lightning flashed, showing them grouped far away, in the center of the village. He could see four of them attacking someone, Kaede watching nearby. "Must be a demon," he mumbled, running towards them. He paused between flashes of lightning, unable to discern their location in the dark. When he stood twenty paces away, he saw them all staring at a body on the ground, it's head removed, blood looking black in the low light. He followed their gaze to its body, seeing a small kitsune lying dead. A knot formed in his throat, surprised at their violence toward one of his kind. It went dark again, and he flailed helplessly until another lightning bolt lit up the sky. The kitsune was now a human, an old man by the looks of it, and his friends had disappeared. There was no more lightning; he was alone in the darkness. He sat on the cold ground and started to cry.  
  
~*END DREAM*~  
  
Shippo shook his head, combining the final scene with the dead human body lit up by lightning to that of it close up in broad daylight. There was no mistaking it, it was the same man. He began running for the hut again. He had to tell them, and to ask them if they had dreamed. 'What's with the tails?' he wondered again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~*A/N: Hmmm.... all starting to make more sense now? Don't worry, I'll throw you a curve yet... Keep reading, onegai?*~ 


	5. The Spell

~*A/N: So, I think I can make it two more chapters yet... we'll see. Enjoy!*~  
  
DISCLAIMER: How many times do I have to say this? I don't own Inu-Yasha, dammit!  
  
Chapter Five: The Spell  
  
Morning came once again to Musashi's domain, and the village began going through the stilted motions of daily life. Kaede rose, finding Shippo had returned during the night. She sighed, rousing the kitsune. Shippo blinked at her, sleep still in his eyes. "Ohayo, Shippo-chan," Kaede smiled down at him.  
  
"K-Kaede-sama!" Shippo's eyes became big as saucers, a look of guilt on his face. "O-Ohayo! Did you sleep well?"  
  
Kaede smirked knowingly at the fearful kitsune, noticing how he recoiled slightly. "And where did ye wander off to last night, Shippo?"  
  
"Muh-me?!" Shippo squealed, unconsciously backing up. "What makes you think I went anywhere?"  
  
"Because I woke and found ye missing, that is why. Ye did not think I would not notice?" Kaede raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I-I-I had to... um, go to the bathroom... yeah, that's it," Shippo replied, averting his gaze from the old priestess's knowing stare.  
  
"Oh, is that all... well, I know that ye would not think of going to my hut to see the others, at least not under these circumstances," Kaede turned and pushed the mat aside, stepping out of the hut.  
  
"That was a close one," Shippo mumbled, wiping the back of his hand over his forehead. He skipped out happily to join Kaede.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kagome awoke, sitting up and stretching. 'What day is it? Oh, yeah, it's Sunday. I need to go home tonight, there's a history test tomorrow. I just hope Inu-Yasha will let me...' Suddenly, the events of the day before came flooding back. 'Or, I hope Kaede will let me. What will I do if she won't?'  
  
"Oy, Kagome, are you alright?" Kagome turned her head to see a concerned Sango sitting nearby. Kagome shook her head, dispelling her worry, and plastered a smile onto her face.  
  
"Fine, Sango. Ohayo!"  
  
"Ohayo, Kagome," Sango eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"I could really go for a bath... I feel like I haven't bathed in ages. Do you think Kaede will let us?"  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted from his corner, "Yeah, right. She's not gonna let us out of this damn hut until she's decided how she's going to punish us."  
  
"Inu-Yasha, Kaede-sama hasn't made her decision as to whether or not she believes us guilty yet, otherwise she would have come to tell us. Don't go deciding our fate just yet," Miroku warned.  
  
"Feh, sure she has. Think she'd come running in the middle of the night to tell us we're all to be executed?!" At the word "executed", Kagome and Sango's faces blanched, their eyes haunted. Inu-Yasha looked at the dark circles under Kagome's eyes and regretted his hasty words. He put his arms up in defense, his face looking frightened, "I mean, um, she's not the type to act hastily, she'd rather drag it out and make us squirm a little before telling us we were free to go."   
  
Miroku shook his head at Inu-Yasha, "Nice save." Inu-Yasha shot a glare at him before crossing his arms and bowing his head, his eyes hidden behind silver bangs. The girls faces relaxed, color slowly returning. Inu-Yasha was afraid as well, somehow that gave them comfort. "Kagome," Miroku said softly, breaking her train of thought, "do you have any ramen left?"  
  
Kagome's face brightened, "Of course, Miroku. Why don't you start a fire, and I'll get it out of my pack." Sango poured water into the pot from a jug stored in the room. The three went about silently making breakfast as Inu-Yasha sulked in the corner.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shippo sat perched on Kaede's shoulder as she strolled through the village towards Inu-Yasha's forest. "Shippo," Kaede said softly, "what did you discover last night?"  
  
Shippo's mouth fell open, his eyes beginning to water, "Wha-what do you mean?"  
  
Kaede chuckled softly, "Ye did go to my hut last night, and you spoke with them all. What did ye say? What did they tell ye?" Shippo recovered, realizing she wasn't angry with him, and told her of their dreams, and his own. Afterwards, Kaede halted beneath the Goshinboku tree, silent. She stood like that for a few minutes, deep in thought. Shippo merely watched her emotionless face as birds chirped around them. Suddenly, realisation spread across Kaede's face.  
  
"Kaede-sama?" Shippo questioned gently.  
  
"No more worry, young kitsune. I think I have found our answer," and she turned back towards the village. Shippo looked at her, his face full of confusion. Obviously she wasn't going to tell him. His ears picked up the sound of a chuckle on the wind, and he turned to look behind him. He sensed someone hiding in the branches of the Goshinboku, and Kaede noticed his distraction. "What do ye look for?"  
  
Shippo turned back to her, fear in his eyes, "I heard laughter from the tree..." he trailed off. Kaede's face took on a suspicious look, and she turned back to the tree. Approaching it, she looked up into the branches.  
  
"Oy! Whoever ye be, come down here!" she yelled up into the branches, striking the trunk forcefully. A flash of fur came crashing down, landing at her feet. "A kitsune?" Kaede questioned the ball of brown fur.  
  
"Wha-what?!" Shippo hopped from Kaede's shoulder to the ground, poking the prostrate fox demon, receiving a small growl for his efforts. The kitsune sprung to his feet, taking on a fighting stance.  
  
"What'd you do that for, ya old hag?!" the kitsune accused Kaede. He was bigger than Shippo, by probably a few years, his brown hair standing on end from the tension in his body. His dark brown eyes darted from the elderly miko to the young kit, ready for attack.  
  
"Mind your manners!" Shippo bopped him on the head, "This is Kaede-sama, a powerful priestess!" He growled at the other kitsune.  
  
Kaede smiled down on Shippo, her face becoming annoyed as her gaze slid to the other fox at her feet. "Now, who are ye, and why are ye here?"  
  
The belligerent kit balled up his fists, then sighed, relaxing his stance. Apparently they did not want to fight, despite the younger kit's ministrations. "My name is Betsu, and I was only having fun."  
  
"Having fun? How?" Shippo asked, his head cocked to the side.  
  
Still not making eye contact, Betsu continued, "I cast a spell that I learned from a priestess. At least she was dressed like one..." he trailed off.  
  
"What kind of spell, child?" Kaede crouched down, getting down to the kitsune's level.  
  
Betsu looked into her eyes at the term "child", glaring slightly. "I am not a child, like that one!" he pointed at Shippo. "And the spell was for nightmares. To cause everyone to dream their worst dream," his face crumpled, eyes watering, "I just wanted to scare everyone! I didn't mean to kill anyone, really!"  
  
Shippo recoiled at this, his confused look becoming angry. "Just playing! A human man lies dead because of you and you think you can just apologize?!" a small growl erupted from Shippo's throat as he launched at the larger kitsune. He stopped in mid-air, looking up to see Kaede holding him by his tail. She sighed, and reached over, picking up Betsu in the same manner, then standing and turning towards the village.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nearby, a priestess stood, watching the old woman and the two kitsune. "Sister," Kikyo whispered. "I am sorry."  
  
~*A/N: haha! there's your twist for you... so tune in next time for the conclusion of "Dial 'H' for Hentai!" I want to hurry up and finish this story, cuz I got a new idea and I'm really excited about it. Already have the first chappy written! Ja ne, minna! And don't forget to review!*~ 


	6. Huh?

~*A/N: REVISED! For all of those I confused. I want to get this fic over and done so I can hurry along to the next. I have made myself a promise that I won't have more than two fics going at once, unless I'm inserting a one-shot. So, onto the last chappie of "Dial 'H' for Hentai!"*~  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own Inu-Yasha! *dances* I just bought him on E-Bay! He should arrive in... *checks screen* 6-8 weeks! Yay!  
  
Chapter Six: Huh?  
  
The group of four friends ate their breakfast of ramen, a thick blanket of silence wrapping around them. Four heads snapped up at sounds coming from the doorway. There stood Kaede, a kitsune's tail clutched in each knarled hand. They all recognized Shippo's pout, but the glare of the larger kit surprised them all. "Kaede-sama," Kagome squeaked, "who is that?"  
  
Kaede lifted the hand that held Betsu, releasing Shippo at the same time. The kit quickly quitted his pout, and shot into Kagome's lap. Kaede poked Betsu with the forefinger of her newly freed hand. The offended kit growled at the miko. The small but aggressive sound caused everyone to laugh, even Shippo, whose growl sounded similar, if not smaller.  
  
"Stop laughing!" yelled Betsu, his face mimicing a tomato. Kaede, Inu-Yasha, and Miroku's faces went instantly serious. Sango stopped laughing, but could not conceal a smile. Kagome tried to stifle her giggles, only to have one slip out occasionally. Shippo, however, continued laughing unabashedly, tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks. Kagome hushed him, as Kaede cleared her throat to get their attention. Five pairs of eyes turned to her, the scowling kitsune still hanging from her fist.  
  
"This," Kaede nodded to the ball of fur, "is Betsu. He has been the source of mischief in this village." All instantly sobered, even Shippo's giggles disappearing as they were reminded of the recent tragedy.  
  
"Keh! Don't tell me we were all duped by some damn little kit?" Inu-Yasha crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"I'm not little!" Betsu argued. "I'm full-grown! I'm an adult!"  
  
"Keh," Inu-Yasha snorted, turning his head.  
  
"That is beside the point, Betsu-san," Kaede scolded, her voice remaining even. "Ye have caused much trouble for my village, and as its miko, it is my duty to punish the guilty." At the word "punish", Betsu gulped, his eyes as big as saucers.  
  
"Puh-punish?" he stuttered, turning his face up to the old woman.  
  
"Hai," Kaede nodded, closing her eye.  
  
"Buh-buh-buh-buh-but, it wasn't my fault! That miko! She gave me the spell, and told me exactly what to do! She even told me your names, and how to work them into the incantation! I didn't know what it would do, honest! I've been framed, I tell you, framed!" Betsu cried, clutching his face in agonized fear.  
  
"Miko?" Kagome asked herself, staring off into space.  
  
"Hai! A miko!" Betsu nodded enthusiastically. "She found me in the forest, and asked me if I wanted to do some mischief. Well, it's in my nature, so how could I resist? If I knew it would kill someone, I never would have done it, I swear!"  
  
Kaede opened her eye, studying the quivering kitsune. 'His eyes seem to say he's telling the truth. But who could this miko be? Could it be...' she shook her head, dispelling the thought before it could even form.  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted, "It smells like you're telling the truth, but you need to tell us the WHOLE story, from the beginning, every detail, got it?" Betsu again nodded enthusiastically, clutching his paws over his heart in a praying motion. Kaede released him, and he fell to the floor. He touched a paw to his head as Kaede turned, pulling the mat aside to say something to Kirara. A growl of agreement was heard from outside, and Kaede released the mat. She crossed the hut, sitting in her usual seat; next to the firepit, facing the door. The five friends moved to take their usual places as well; Kagome and Sango sat on either side of the firepit, facing each other. Miroku sat on Kaede's right, just far away enough from Sango not to be crowding her. Inu-Yasha remained in his corner. Shippo stayed in Kagome's lap. Betsu frowned before plopping down in front of the firepit as well, facing Kaede. He looked to her face for a sign. She looked him in the eye, then nodded. He sighed.  
  
"As I said, I was just resting in a tree in the forest near here one day, when a miko appeared before me," he began. No one interrupted, so he continued. "She asked me if I was up to any mischief. When I told her I was merely taking a nap, she got an interesting gleam in her eye. She asked me if I wanted to be. Now, I thought this odd, her being a miko and all, so I figured it a trap. She assured me it wasn't even before I could voice my opinion. I looked at her skeptically as she explained the spell she wanted me to perform. She gave me a few names to work into the incantation, and laid it all out specifically. When I asked why she didn't do it herself, her powers being far superior to mine, she glared at me. She said she didn't have the capabilities of illusionary magic like kitsunes do. So I did the spell, and watched. At first, it was amusing, all of you running around confused. But the poor man..." he choked at these words, "I-I didn't mean for him to die! I didn't know! I didn't..." he bowed his head, dejected. Kagome patted his shoulder, and he looked up, giving her thanks by a silent, watery smile.  
  
"This miko ye saw," Kaede drew his attention. "What did she look like?"  
  
Betsu tapped his chin with a forefinger, studying the ceiling of the hut. "Well, she was dressed in the usual attire of a miko, red and white. Her long black hair was tied back with a white ribbon. She had brown eyes, but they seemed cold and dead. Come to think of it, she smelled of earth and death. A few youkai circled around her, bringing balls of light to her. She absorbed them, and the youkai would fly away as more came. She seemed rather... odd," he finished, his expression still thoughtful. Everyone's eyes had snapped to Inu-Yasha as he had mentioned the flying youkai, for he had stood quickly. An expression of forced control was in his golden eyes as he locked them on Kaede.  
  
Kaede waved her hand at him, "Go, then, if you must." With that, he pushed aside the mat, only to be met by a growling Kirara. "Kirara," Kaede called, "let him pass." Kirara backed down, settling herself again to the side of the door. Within seconds Inu-Yasha was gone, the mat making swishing sounds as it settled back into place. Kagome looked down at the firepit, watching the flames lick the wood without really seeing them. "Well," Kaede spoke, breaking the silence and pulling Kagome out of her reverie, "now that we know the truth, ye are all free to go. Except ye, Betsu. Ye have some explaining and apologizing to do to the villagers." The four remaining friends remained sitting as Kaede gathered up the kit and left the hut.  
  
"Well," said Kagome, shaking her head to clear it, "I guess I'll go home. I have tests tomorrow, after all." She stood, setting Shippo down after dropping a kiss on his head. She walked to the corner, hauling her yellow backpack onto her shoulders.  
  
"Kagome, I'll walk you to the well," Sango offered, standing.  
  
"That's allright, Sango," Kagome smiled. "It's daytime, I'll be fine." And with that, she left, patting Kirara's head as she passed.  
  
Miroku sighed, "Will he never learn?"  
  
"She caused a spell to be cast on us all! She had us kill someone, and innocent man! And he still runs to her?!" Sango fumed. Shippo ran from the hut to find comfort in Kirara. Miroku stood next to Sango, placing a reassuring hand upon her shoulder.  
  
"As long as Kikyo walks the earth, he will go to her. It's sad really," Miroku chuckled, looking down and shaking his head. "Kagome loves him, it's plain as the nose on her face. And he just can't see."  
  
Sango turned her head towards Miroku, shocked at how calm and collected he could be in a situation like this. 'I really envy him,' she thought. 'He always has something intelligent to offer, always manages to look at things rationally, always manages to calm the rest of us down, always... manages to ruin it!' She turned, rage again filling her eyes, as she felt him grope her. "HENTAI!" she screamed, slapping his face.  
  
Inu-Yasha paused before he leapt again. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Damn lecher," he mumbled, leaping to the next tree, trying to find Kikyo's elusive scent.  
  
Kagome looked back towards the village, perched on the edge of the well. "Glad everything's back to normal," she mumbled half-heartedly, as blue light enveloped her.  
  
Shippo cuddled deeper into Kirara, mumbling about "grown-ups" and their "odd behavior". 'If that's what it's like to be grown-up,' he thought, 'I don't want to be one.' And with that, he fell asleep.  
  
On the other sided of Inu-Yasha's forest, Kikyo floated on a cloud of miasma with Naraku, his arm around her. "Well, Kikyo, it seems the stupid half-breed and your wretched reincarnation ended up immune to your tricks. I'm sorry the incantation I gave you wasn't more successful," he hissed into her ear.  
  
She turned to him, her expression blank. "Do not worry, Naraku. Look how he searches for me, the fool. Even after my trying to kill the girl, making them all murder that man... he still searches for me. Surely he'd question me, but he knows I would never answer him. I am only sorry for hurting my sister. The only thing I couldn't controll..." she trailed off, her eyes suddenly sad as she watched her sister walk through the village.  
  
After Kaede had made Betsu explain to the village, they decided to let him go as long as he promised never to do it again. He was fortunate that they all viewed him as merely a mischevious child. The details of Kikyo were omitted from his explanation, so as to not further upset the villagers, but all-in-all, they were satisfied. Kaede still wondered what her sister's goal had been. But, once again, all was calm within Musashi's domain, and although touched with grief, life in the small village continued as it always had.  
  
~*A/N: The end! Te he! So, yay! NEways... Now that I'm finished, I can start posting my new fic! I will still continue writing on "In the Beginning..." and my new fic will be titled "Love Remains". Check 'em out, if you haven't! Onegai? Arigato, my lovely readers, I enjoyed writing and I hoped you enjoyed reading! Sayonara!*~ 


	7. Epilogue

~*A/N: So, for those of you who were unsatisfied with the ending, here is a little epilogue to further explain things. So, be happy now, k? K. The end, this time, I mean it. Enjoy!*~  
  
DISCLAIMER: *clobbers Inu-Yasha* "Just admit it! You love her, you baka! Always running after that clay jar; she's DEAD! D-E-A-D, DEAD! Get it? Good." ---That's what I would do if it were mine, but since it's not, I'll just have to deal with his stupidity.  
  
Epilogue  
  
It was late night, and all except two occupants of Kaede's hut were asleep. "I wonder when Kagome will come back," Shippo said to Kaede, glaring at the hanyou sleeping in the corner.  
  
"When she is ready, Shippo, she will return. She has never not come back, now has she?" Kaede quirked an eyebrow at the now growling kitsune.  
  
"Well, no," Shippo replied, turning back towards the fire, pouting at it.  
  
Kaede chuckled, "What troubles ye, Shippo? Why are ye not asleep?"  
  
"Well," Shippo looked up at her, "I was wondering. Why did Kikyo do those terrible things to the village? I thought she used to be its miko, and now she terrorizes it? And what does she have against us?" He motioned to Sango, Miroku, and himself.  
  
"Elementary, my dear Shippo," Kaede replied, smirking. "Since Kagome possesses most of Kikyo's soul, all that remains in her is the part that hates Inu-Yasha. Eventhough she now knows it wasn't he who betrayed her, she still harbors hatred and resentment toward him. She hates Kagome for being able to have what she never could." At this she noticed a confused look on Shippo's face. She sighed, and continued, "Kikyo once loved Inu-Yasha, and dreamt of making a life with his human form. Death robbed her of that dream, and she has observed Inu-Yasha and Kagome together. She is jealous of the bond they share. Understand now?"  
  
Shippo nodded. "But what about Miroku, Sango, and I? And the villagers? And you?"  
  
"Well, Shippo, she has never met Miroku, Sango, and yourself, other than in Inu-Yasha's company. I guess in a way, she is jealous of you all as well. The fact that ye travel with him, are his companions, his friends... a pleasure she was denied while alive. As for myself, although I am her sister, she cannot understand why I took the side of Inu-Yasha following her ressurrection. She has no real hatred for me, but I believe that she still feels slightly betrayed by my allegiance to the one she had thought was the cause of her death."  
  
"But the villagers? She once protected them!" Shippo burst, unable to stay quiet any longer.  
  
Kaede chuckled at his youthful exuberance. "Well, they were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, I believe. Just like poor Hironobu-kun." Kaede's smiling face turned sad.  
  
"I understand now, Kaede-sama," Shippo said, trying to distract her from her depressing thoughts.  
  
Kaede smiled down at him, patting his head, "Then ye best get some sleep, for tomorrow Inu-Yasha will surely be trying to bring Kagome back."  
  
"Wait! Did Inu-Yasha find Kikyo?" Shippo's eyes were wide with wonder.  
  
"Hai, I believe so. He was rather... quiet and withdrawn when he returned. He was not angry or sullen, however. If he had not found her, he would be more upset, not comtemplative. I doubt she answered any of his questions however."  
  
Inu-Yasha's ears had perked up at the mention of his name this time, and undetected by the two, he was listening in. 'No,' he thought, 'she didn't. She simply laughed and was carried away by her soul collectors. Why, Kikyo?' He then drifted back to sleep, lost in his wondering.  
  
"Now, Shippo, get some sleep. An old lady like me does not need a young kit such as ye keeping her up all night with questions." Her words were reprimanding, but her expression soft.   
  
Shippo shrugged, no further questions plaguing his mind. He curled up in the place that Kagome normally slept, and closed his eyes. Kaede settled down herself, lying on her side, her eye staring into the fire emptily. Shippo's eyes suddenly shot open, and he whispered loudly, "Kaede-sama, what does 'elementary' mean?"  
  
Kaede chuckled, closing her eyes and falling to sleep.  
  
~*A/N: Happy now? All questions should be answered. If they weren't, you weren't paying close enough attention. Now I can focus on my new fic... Sayonara, minna.*~ 


End file.
